Japan will revise its criteria used to assess the COVID-19 situation, shifting focus to hospital capacity from the number of new infections, in line with progress in the vaccination rate, government officials said Monday.
The new system, discussed during a meeting of the government's subcommittee on the coronavirus response, will also classify the situation according to five levels, up from the current four.
The alert levels have been used by the government in deciding whether to declare a state of emergency and by prefectural governments in deciding on what kind of measures to take against the virus.